The use of keypads on motor vehicles for gaining entry to the interior of the vehicle has been available for several years and has proven to be a popular option. The keypad is typically located on an exterior surface of the automotive vehicle such as, for example, a B pillar disposed between front and rear doors or on exterior sheet metal of the vehicle door. Locating a keypad in this manner is difficult to integrate on a moving assembly line. In addition, automotive vehicle stylists prefer not to incorporate a keypad on sheet metal or B pillars of vehicles because the keypad disrupts the aesthetics of the vehicle desired by stylists.
An attempt to remove the keypad from the B-pillar and exterior sheet metal resulted in an attempt to locate the keypad on the handle as is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0338409. However, these efforts have proven ineffective resulting in bulky, poorly designed handles where the keypad is featured more prominently than even those located on B-pillars and exterior sheet metal.
It would be desirable to remove the keypad from a B-pillar or sheet metal to resolve the problem set forth above while overcoming the poor appearance of those efforts to locate a keypad in a handle. In addition, many vehicles such as, for example, convertibles do not even include a B pillar. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an alternative keypad arrangement for providing keyless entry into a vehicle.